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Topic: I need a veggie dish (Read 5185 times)

We're having a get together at the inlaws thins weekend. I offered to bring something and was told a vegetable dish. The main course is chicken. I am at a loss. I was told I could bring a veggie tray if I'm short on time but am looking for other ideas. I tend to cook my veggies in the microwave and don't season them much. Any ideas?

If you have an oven, you can do a really yummy oven roasted veggies. All you do is take your favorite veggies, toss with olive oil, salt/pepper liberally and roast at 400 till desired doneness.

You can do this with:

Asparagus-snap your first asparagus in half. Where it naturally snaps is where you can cut the rest of the bundle with. Rinse under water, then do above and roast.

Brussell Sprouts- shed first layer of leaves, cut of stem (not too much though) and do above and roast.

A combo of cherry tomatoes, zucchini and yellow squash- Rinse well Cut cherry tomatoes in half. Peel every other inch the zuchini/yellow squash so that when you look at it, they appear striped. Slice thinly and toss with halved tomatoes do above. With this one you can add a tsp of herbs like rosemary, thyme or whichever you prefer.

It depends, to me, on whether or not you will be preparing your dish on site or whether you need to take it with you, keeping it warm somehow.

If you can prepare on site, you could do a platter of various steamed veggies, sprinkled with salt, pepper and a little parmesan cheese. Something that gives you a wide range of colours. My Mom always did a platter of cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, asparagus and brussel sprouts. You could to this same kind of thing with the roasted vegetables, like Zilla described. Or if the in-laws have a grill, you could do a variety of grilled vegetables quickly. Aspargus, zucchini, peppers - brush with olive oil, toss with salt and pepper and grill either directly on the grill or in a grilling basket.

But if you need to take the dish with you already prepared, I'd go with something more casserole like as it will keep warm better and deal with reheating better. A friend of mine does a broccoli, cauliflower and other veggies in a cheesy sauce, with a bread crumb topping.

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After cleaning out my Dad's house, I have this advice: If you haven't used it in a year, throw it out!!!!.

I just did this as a cooking demo for an Earth Day event. it took less then 5 minutes and everyone loved it - kids, adults, etc were asking for more. in fact I had to make 3 batches (which was easy because its so quick!)

Whisk together the mayo/MW, vinegar (3:1 ratio), cumin and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add carrots and raisins and stir until totally coated with dressing. Mix in nuts if using.

The cinnamon really adds a nice flavor and brings out the natural sweetness of the carrots and raisins, and the cumin just adds a bit of something. Some people prefer nutmeg to the cumin, that's cool. Or you could use "pumpkin pie spice" if you have that in your pantry. For nuts I used a package of pre-made candied walnuts.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm starting to get hungry just reading the recipes. I doubt I'll be able to cook on site, though maybe reheating in the microwave would be an option. I live an hour away so I'll need something that travels well.

I suggest Asian slaw - there are tons of recipes online. It is quite easy and travels well, just carry the crushed ramen separately and top the salad before serving. Tastes good with chicken...and just about everything else lol

If you are an hour away, I'd find a cold dish you can make, like WillyNilly's carrot salad. I have a recipe somewhere for a broccoli salad that has grapes, bacon, curry powder and I don't remember what else. Very time consuming to make but oh, so, so, good. And I don't even like curry.

I can did out the recipe when I get home tonight, if you like.

Logged

After cleaning out my Dad's house, I have this advice: If you haven't used it in a year, throw it out!!!!.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm starting to get hungry just reading the recipes. I doubt I'll be able to cook on site, though maybe reheating in the microwave would be an option. I live an hour away so I'll need something that travels well.

Another good one and it sounds nuts but it is truly delicious and people ask me for the recipes.

New question? All of your suggestions got me thinking more about travel and preparation. I'm thinking about a pan of oven roasted vegetables. I could roast them the morning before the party and they should be okay to serve at room temperature. Maybe some peppers, onions, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes drizzled with some olive oil and baked. It seems like its needs something else. Would eggplant work? Zucchini?

New question? All of your suggestions got me thinking more about travel and preparation. I'm thinking about a pan of oven roasted vegetables. I could roast them the morning before the party and they should be okay to serve at room temperature. Maybe some peppers, onions, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes drizzled with some olive oil and baked. It seems like its needs something else. Would eggplant work? Zucchini?

In light of the travel, I would skip reheating roasted vegetables. They tend to get soggy and mushy. If I were you I'd roast an assortment of items and cool it and serve at room temperature. Roast them a bit underdone as they will keep cooking once you take them out. Zucchini and eggplant can go from yum to mush very easily of cooked too long.

In that case I'd do some type of big salad with lots of yummies and add the dressing right before you serve it. It can be prepared that morning or even the night before and transported in a cooler. I'd be at a loss if someone asked me to travel an hour+ with a hot veggie dish. Anything I can think of would be yuck by the time it made it to the table.